Province of New York

The Province of New York was a British royal colony in North America that existed from 1664 to 1783, with New York City serving as its capital. The area was originally colonized by the Dutch as "New Netherland" which had a small, yet diverse, settler population including Dutchmen, religious dissenters and immigrants from Sweden, France, and Germany, Catholics, Mennonites, Lutherans, Puritans, and Jews. In 1664, King Charles II of England gave his brother James, Duke of York an enormous land grant that included New Netherland, and the Dutch were forced to surrender their colony to the English during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. The colony was renamed "New York" in honor of the Duke of York. New York became a diverse colony and a center of commerce, with New York City becoming a wealthy port and a center of immigration to the Thirteen Colonies. In 1776, the province declared independence and joined the United States.